Dame Maureen Lipman has waded into the trans debate by urging detractors to stop “kicking a**” at writer JK Rowling.
The Harry Potter author faced a furious online backlash by objecting to the phrase “people who menstruate” being used instead of “women”.
She said the phrase, intended to make clear trans women were included in the word “women”, erased “the lived reality of women globally”.
Coronation Street star Maureen, 76, said: “I am an actress, not an actor and, if somebody tries to take the word ‘woman’ away from me, I shall be very cross.
“Yes, some of my views can be a little old-fashioned. But don’t attack me for them. Consider my point of view. Demonstrate a little kindness. Be patient. If you have to kick a** at someone like Joanne Rowling, who’s literally taught a generation to read, something’s not right.”
Her comments came as she signed a deal to stay on as Corrie’s Evelyn Plummer and hit back at snobs who look down on the soap.
She told Reader’s Digest: “I won’t hear a word against it. It’s full of quite exceptional actors working with very little rehearsal, very little direction.
“Am I envious of some of my peers? Sometimes, yes. Do I have the right to be? Of course not. Would I like to be in Sex Education? Yes, of course. Am I sorry I’ve signed up with Corrie for another year? No, I’m not.”
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